Fleas and your pet
Egg stage:
It's a good idea to check pets for fleas on a regular basis. It is especially important to check if your pets seem unusually nervous or grumpy, or if they're scratching more than seems natural.
The average life of the egg stage is 10 days.
Larval stage:
After hatching, the larvae find a dark place in your home and feed on flea feces. They grow, molt twice and spin cocoons where they grow into pupae.
The average life of the larval stage is 12 days.
Pupal stage:
Pupae spend 8-9 days in their cocoon growing to adulthood, then wait for signals that it is time to emerge.
The average life of the pupal stage is 4 - 5 months. Many pupae are present in the household before adults are seen.
Adult stage:
Adult fleas detect a host from inside their cocoons at which point they leave the cocoon, hop onto a host, find a mate and start the cycle again.
The average life of an adult flea is 50 days.
The adult fleas you see on your pet represent approximately 5% of the total flea population, and are only the tip of the infestation iceberg.
Point to each stage on the diagram to learn more.
